REVIEW: ‘Cat Quest 3’ is Near Purrrfect (PC)

Cat Quest 3, developed by The Gentlebros and published by Kepler Interactive, takes the family-friendly indie RPG series to the high seas. In the shoes of an adorable cat purr-ate players go on an open adventure in search of an elusive treasure known as the North Star. The classic pros of the series are still present: funny writing, accessibility, an open design, and great visual direction. But it also has a lot of new elements to attract players, such as improved combat, a fun new setting, and some killer jokes. It all blends together to make not only the best title in the series but a near-perfect RPG.

For the uninitiated, Cat Quest 3 is an adorable isometric RPG set in a tropical cartoon world known as the Purribean. It follows a young cat pirate being helped by a spirit named Captain Cappey while the player traverses a vibrant world by sailing, delving into dungeons, interacting with NPCs, and completing side quests. It features accessible mechanics that allow anyone to jump in and play while having enough charm and fun to make it enjoyable to anyone who is interested.

The most impressive aspect of Cat Quest 3 is its open structure. Once players get through a brief tutorial they are unleashed on an open world sandbox of great freedom. Areas will have enemies of different levels that can work to gate off areas until later on in the playthrough, but beyond that players can go wherever they want and engage with the parts that interest them. And even if a boss or group of enemies is giving you a bit of trouble you can always get around it with some creativity. There are few problems that a few shots from your pirate ship lobbed onto land from the nearby beach won’t be able to solve.

The exploration and sense of freedom is especially rewarding because of how inventive and fun the Purribean is. Every corner of the map has hidden secrets to find through some fun quick puzzles, quirky NPCs to chat with, or great set pieces like a pirate metal band called Meowtallika. It is all just silly fun, but it is impressively consistent silly fun.

Exploration is also helped by the new depth brought to the combat system. Players are able to equip a melee weapon, ranged weapon, two spells, relics that grant build-defining abilities, headgear, and torso armor. Each piece of equipment can be upgraded at various vendors to improve their stats and ensure that you can keep using the gear that you like rather than having to switch to an option that isn’t as fun but has bigger numbers attached to it.

While Cat Quest 3‘s gear system is admittedly simple, making builds with it is still a lot of fun. It does not have the seemingly limitless options of more hardcore loot-driven games but that allows the process to be much more accessible. This means that even players who aren’t as familiar with loot-based RPGs can still jump in and put together some fun builds, possibly even introducing them to a new style of gaming that they were less familiar with. And once you get a build together the flow of combat feels excellently fast and responsive, making it a blast to just fight all sorts of enemies.

Players also get a similar amount of personalization with their pirate ship. Your ship can be equipped with different types of canons and augmenting gear like damaging other ships when dashing through them. Ship combat doesn’t quite boast the depth or good feel of foot combat in Cat Quest 3, but it still is far from a drag. Unlocking new options for your ship is always fun to play around with, and combat is fun enough to not feel like a drag. However, its auto-aiming of cannon shots does make it a bit too simplistic to be as satisfying as it otherwise could have been.

Another really standout feature of Cat Quest 3, and one that has been a welcome trademark of the series, is its full support of couch co-op. Having another player jump into your adventure is absolutely seamless and serves to only elevate the fun you were having on your own. It is mercifully easy to do and makes it a perfect game to play with a non-gamer friend, someone younger, or anyone looking for a more casual fun experience.

Cat Quest 3 pulls off a balancing act that few games manage to. It is accessible enough for nearly anyone to jump in while being fun and engaging enough for players who prefer more mechanically dense RPGs to still have a ton of fun. It is oversaturated with personality and charm, making every minute of playing it filled with something funny, interesting, or unique.

Cat Quest 3 releases on August 8 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.